Certain embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a lever-based connection assembly for engaging resisting components. More particularly, certain embodiments of the present invention relate to a mate assist assembly for connecting electrical contacts contained in separate housings.
In certain applications, electronic components require a mate assist assembly to electrically connect several electrical contacts. The mate assist assembly includes a first connector housing that holds several electrical contacts, and a second connector housing that holds an equal number of electrical contacts. One connector housing includes male electrical contacts, while the other connector housing includes female electrical contacts. The first connector housing is configured to be received inside the second connector housing. As the number of electrical contacts to be mated increases, it becomes difficult to fully join the mating connector housings because of friction between the mating electrical contacts.
A conventional mate assist assembly includes a lever having a handle and two lever arms that extend from, and are rotated alongside, side walls of the first connector housing. The second connector housing is slid onto and encloses the first connector housing to a point where the electrical contacts resist further insertion. Each lever arm includes a cam arm with notches. Rack teeth are situated within the second connector housing with each rack tooth corresponding to the notches of the cam arms. As the first connector housing is inserted into the second connector housing, the lever is oriented in a fixed position so that the cam arms are aligned to engage the rack teeth.
As the handle is rotated in a first direction, the rack teeth and cam arms engage and pull the first connector housing and lever downward into the second connector housing, mating the electrical contacts. Alternatively, as the handle is rotated in a second direction, the first connector housing is pulled upward out of the second connector housing, unmating the electrical contacts.
The conventional electrical connector suffers from a number of drawbacks. First, the lever member is rotated a large distance before the cam arms engage the rack teeth on the module connector. Therefore, the lever member rotates ninety-degrees to fully connect and disconnect the electrical contacts. Since the lever member rotates ninety-degrees in operation, the lever member is fully upright and parallel to a vertical axis at some point during the course of rotation. When the lever member is in such an upright orientation, the mate assist assembly takes up a large amount of space and is thus limited to use in certain electronic applications where space is not constrained. Therefore, a mate assist assembly is needed having a lever member that rotates a shorter distance to connect the electrical contacts and thus takes up less space during rotation.
Secondly, conventional electrical connectors do not effectively maintain the lever members in the necessary fixed position. For example, some electrical connectors have apertures in the lever arms that receive, and are retained by, deflectable latches extending outward from the side walls of the first connector housing. When the first connector housing is positioned within the second connector housing, the latches are biased inward into the first connector housing to release the lever arms from the fixed position. However, the lever arms must be in a lowered position about the first connector housing for the deflectable latches to engage the apertures. In order to position the first connector housing downward into the second connector housing, the lever is rotated upward to an upright position above the first connector housing. The lever therefore takes up more space and interferes with surrounding components when connecting the electrical contacts, thus limiting the number of components with which the electrical connector is used.
Other electrical connectors maintain the lever in a fixed position with the lever arms extending upright from the first connector housing prior to insertion into the second connector housing so that the lever is rotated downward about the first connector housing to connect the electrical contacts. The lever arms include apertures near the cam arms that receive, and are retained by, protrusions extending out from the side walls of the first connector housing. When the first connector housing is positioned within the second connector housing, the lever is pushed with a force necessary to disengage the apertures from the protrusions to release the lever from the fixed position. However, the protrusions are small and engage only a small amount of surface area of the lever arms. Therefore, when slight forces are applied to the lever, the lever arms are prematurely released from the protrusions such that the lever is no longer in the fixed position. The protrusions also quickly wear down until the protrusions do not engage the lever.
Therefore, a need exists for an electrical connector that overcomes the above problems and addresses other concerns experienced in the prior art.
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide for an electrical connector including first and second housings having ends configured to receive electrical contacts. The first and second housings are configured to be matable with one another to join corresponding electrical contacts and are movable between initial and final positions. The electrical connector also includes a lever member engaging the first and second housings and moving the first and second housings between the initial and final positions as the lever member is rotated through a range of motion about a rotational axis. The lever member includes a cam arm having a pivot post received by the first housing and first and second notches that engage the first and second housings, respectively. The first housing includes a post slot for rotatably and slidably retaining the pivot post relative to the rotational axis. The first housing further has a first rack engaging the first notch, and the second housing has a second rack engaging the second notch. The first and second racks and notches cooperate to move the first and second housings between the initial and final positions as the lever member is rotated along the range of motion.